Local businesses compete in Juneteenth cook-off
Local Food vendors competed for “Best in the City” for a Father’s Day edition of the Youngstown Juneteenth Soul Food Cook Off at Wean Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Attendees voted on each vendor’s dishes to select a winner in three categories:
Best Protein
Best Side Dish
Best Dessert
Each winner will receive a cash prize.
“We have about eight vendors this year, we’re kind of concentrating on vendors that have been participating in Juneteenth for a number of years,” said Youngstown Juneteenth committee chair Joseph Napier.
The Cook-Off is part of a week-long celebration that began Saturday, June 13.
Richard Armsrong, who owns Momma’s Kitchen on Wheels, sells barbecue fish, barbecue chicken strips, and barbecue wings.
“We got our own barbecue sauce, it’s kinda like a secret taste, can’t give too much on the sauce, but it’s something you gotta try,” he said.
Tradaiza Merchant, who owns TasteT’s Kitchen, made birria chicken and beef tacos, as well as birria eggrolls and Mexican street corn.
“The meat is where all the love goes into, cause I cooked that for 10 to 12 hours, cause I just put all my love and sweat and tears and everything else in between into it to just make something beautiful,” she said.
Carol Briggs, who owns CarolD Confections, sells chocolate-covered pretzels and pound cakes.
Briggs says she believes the Juneteenth celebrations are a way to bring the community together.
“Over time, people have let things, opportunities, and situations drive us from each other more so, and this is an opportunity to come together more,” she said.
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Dining and Cooking